SRINAGAR: Terrorists shot and killed retired J&K police SP Mohammad Shafi Mir as the 72-year-old was reciting the azan at a mosque in Peth Gantmulla village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district before dawn on Sunday.
Witnesses reported that Mir, who retired in 2012 and was active in social and philanthropic activities, fell from the pulpit during the azan. The attackers fired three bullets at his back while he, assuming the muezzin’s role, was calling for prayers through a loudspeaker. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. He leaves behind two daughters, a son, and his wife.

Following the attack, security forces cordoned off the area in pursuit of the terrorists, deploying additional personnel for searches. The predawn fatal strike on the retired SP follows a recent spate of targeted terrorist attacks on off-duty policemen.
On December 9, terrorists shot and wounded a constable in Srinagar, marking the third such attack this year since the shooting of inspector Mansoor Ahmad Wani on October 29 while he was playing cricket with friends in downtown Srinagar. After battling for his life for more than a month, Wani died at AIIMS in New Delhi on December 7. Another constable lost his life in a targeted attack at Kralpora in Baramulla district on November 1.

The alarming trend continues from 2022, when as many as 10 J&K policemen fell victim to terrorist attacks, with some targeted while on leave or off duty. This year, two off-duty policemen have lost their lives in the Kashmir region so far.
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha expressed his condolences to the family of Mir. “Pained beyond words on the dastardly terrorist attack on the retired police officer… Cowards responsible for this barbaric act will not be spared,” he tweeted.
Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed concern, urging decisive measures to curb terrorism and ensure people’s safety. Altaf Bukhari, president of Apni Party, condemned the killing of Mir, highlighting the brutality of attacking someone during a call for prayer.
Sunday’s attack adds to the rising tensions in the region, coinciding with ongoing operations in the Poonch-Rajouri sector of Jammu, where four Army soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush on December 21.
Security forces in Poonch picked up two dozen youths from the Gujjar community as part of their investigation into the deaths of three villagers, whose bodies were found on the site of the ambush on December 22. The administration has ordered compensation and jobs for the families of the deceased trio amid allegations that they died in military custody.